Squires Stomp Vikings To Defend Home Turf
August 30, 2022 at 11:48 p.m.
Squires Stomp Vikings To Defend Home Turf
By Connor McCann-
The tone was set early with both teams showing hustle and grit from the opening whistle. Every loose ball was reached quickly, often by players in both black and white jerseys. The first real chance of the game belonged to Tippy Valley when Jonathan Ruiz set up Giovanni Arriaga in the box, but the junior midfielders shot sailed over the crossbar.
In a closely contested first half, the main area Manchester showed its superiority was on the counterattack. Each Viking chance was handled quickly as Squire defenders quickly shifted gears to attack mode, getting the ball up field in a hurry. As the first half wore on, the ball stayed on the Viking side of the field more frequently. A series of set pieces were flung towards Valley’s goal, but keeper Ty Jones remained strong, making a couple of tough saves from distance.
Manchester finally broke through in the 17thminute after junior Nathanial Miller was fouled in the box. Miller would forgo the penalty kick in favor of Michael Ortiz, who would bury the opener.
A couple of minutes later, a perfectly executed counter by the Squires would find Tyler McLain with an open field ahead of him. With only Jones to beat, McLain would capitalize and double Manchester’s lead. The Vikings would get their biggest chance of the first 40 minutes with about six left, but Squire keeper Kolby Haecker made the stop.
Early in the second half, Manchester and McLain had yet another chance, but the shot sailed wide. Not much longer though, it would be Ortiz who would get a brace. On yet another counter, Ortiz beat his defender to the ball, muscling past him and putting one by the glove of Jones to extend the lead to 3-0.
At the 14-minute mark of the second half, the game saw its first controversy. A Manchester shot went off of the hands of Jones and off of the posts, potentially crossing the goal line in the process. With Squires players screaming the ball went in, a goal kick was awarded.
With 22 minutes left in the game, the Squires were awarded another penalty kick. This one attempted by Trevor Heath. Heath would sail the ball right, keeping the score at 3-0.
After a hard foul a few minutes later, tempers flared between the teams. Valley’s Christian Ramirez would pick up a yellow card after the scuffle.
Just two minutes afterwards, Miller would score the most impressive goal of the night. With the ball in the air and only Miller and Jones in the area, Miller would stick his left foot out and make perfect contact, slicing the ball into an empty net and a 4-0 lead.
McLain became the second Squire to score two goals with ten minutes left, and at the eight-minute mark, turned it into a hat trick. Roberto Iaione assisted on both.
Both teams are at home Thursday, with Manchester hosting Columbia City and Tippecanoe Valley continuing TRC play against Maconaquah.
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The tone was set early with both teams showing hustle and grit from the opening whistle. Every loose ball was reached quickly, often by players in both black and white jerseys. The first real chance of the game belonged to Tippy Valley when Jonathan Ruiz set up Giovanni Arriaga in the box, but the junior midfielders shot sailed over the crossbar.
In a closely contested first half, the main area Manchester showed its superiority was on the counterattack. Each Viking chance was handled quickly as Squire defenders quickly shifted gears to attack mode, getting the ball up field in a hurry. As the first half wore on, the ball stayed on the Viking side of the field more frequently. A series of set pieces were flung towards Valley’s goal, but keeper Ty Jones remained strong, making a couple of tough saves from distance.
Manchester finally broke through in the 17thminute after junior Nathanial Miller was fouled in the box. Miller would forgo the penalty kick in favor of Michael Ortiz, who would bury the opener.
A couple of minutes later, a perfectly executed counter by the Squires would find Tyler McLain with an open field ahead of him. With only Jones to beat, McLain would capitalize and double Manchester’s lead. The Vikings would get their biggest chance of the first 40 minutes with about six left, but Squire keeper Kolby Haecker made the stop.
Early in the second half, Manchester and McLain had yet another chance, but the shot sailed wide. Not much longer though, it would be Ortiz who would get a brace. On yet another counter, Ortiz beat his defender to the ball, muscling past him and putting one by the glove of Jones to extend the lead to 3-0.
At the 14-minute mark of the second half, the game saw its first controversy. A Manchester shot went off of the hands of Jones and off of the posts, potentially crossing the goal line in the process. With Squires players screaming the ball went in, a goal kick was awarded.
With 22 minutes left in the game, the Squires were awarded another penalty kick. This one attempted by Trevor Heath. Heath would sail the ball right, keeping the score at 3-0.
After a hard foul a few minutes later, tempers flared between the teams. Valley’s Christian Ramirez would pick up a yellow card after the scuffle.
Just two minutes afterwards, Miller would score the most impressive goal of the night. With the ball in the air and only Miller and Jones in the area, Miller would stick his left foot out and make perfect contact, slicing the ball into an empty net and a 4-0 lead.
McLain became the second Squire to score two goals with ten minutes left, and at the eight-minute mark, turned it into a hat trick. Roberto Iaione assisted on both.
Both teams are at home Thursday, with Manchester hosting Columbia City and Tippecanoe Valley continuing TRC play against Maconaquah.
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